Kim Soo Hyun Won Baeksang’s Best Actor Award but Netizens Doubt His Qualification

Actor Kim Soo Hyun won the Best Actor Award in 48th Paeksang Arts Awards through the hit drama series “The Moon that Embraces the Sun“. When speaking his acceptance speech, he was on the verge of tears, thanking the teacher to whom he is greatly indebted Bae Yong Joon. But some netizens questioned that he did not qualify, and merely ascended the throne of Best Actor Award by virtue of popularity.

48th Baeksang Art Awards which is known as South Korean version of Golden Globe Awards handed out various awards in TV and movie categories on April 26th, 2012. The popular historical drama “The Moon that Embraces the Sun” which was nominated to 11 awards and was known as the clear favorite, ultimately won the Best TV Drama Award and Best Actor Award. Kim Soo Hyun who is just 24 years old won over Cha Seung Won of “The Greatest Love”, Park Si Hoo of “The Princess’ Man”, Han Suk Hyu of “Deep Rooted Tree” and other senior actors through the drama to become the Best Actor, becoming the youngest Baeksang’s Best Drama Actor in recent years.

Won the Newcomer Award last year

Kim Soo Hyun was on the verge of tears during the speech of acceptance, and did not forget to thank the boss of management agency Bae Yong Joon, fans and family members, and also humbly said that he is not deserved the award. The lead actress of “The Greatest Love” Kong Hyo Jin defeated Kim Sun Ah, Moon Chae Won and others to win the Best Actress Award, she revealed that her boyfriend Ryoo Seung Bum cheered her through text message. The historical drama “Deep Rooted Tree” starring Shin Se Kyung won the Best Screenplay and Daesang Award of TV category, while Joo Won and UEE of “Ojak Brothers” won the Best New Actor and Actress Award.

However, netizens called in question the qualification of Kim Soo Hyun to win the Best Actor Award, saying that he could won the Best Actor Award is because of popularity and not acting skill, because his acting career has just begun, acting experience is not a lot, he has just won several Newcomer Awards through 2011 drama series “Dream High”, but in 2012, he has leapfrogged to challenge Best Actor Award. Even the winner of Best Actor Award in 2011’s Baeksang Arts Award, Jeong Bo Seok, felt surprise on the young Kim Soo Hyun winning the Best Actor Award.

Jang Geun Suk rushed to accept the award

For the motion picture category, Lee Byung-Hun who won the highest honored Daesang Award in 47th Baeksang Arts Award through the movie “I Saw the Devil” specially appeared on the scene to present the awards to Best Actor Ahn Sung Ki and Best Actress Uhm Jung Hwa. Uhm Jung Hwa who won the Best Actress Award from Baeksang again after 9 years shed tears when expressing gratitude to younger brother Uhm Tae Woong who is also an actor and family members. Jang Geun Suk who did not appear in red carpet because of rushing for filming of “Love Rain” made it in time to go on stage to receive the Most Popular Actor Award for movie category. miss A member Suzy won the Best New Actress Award through movie “Architecture 101″.

The actor of “The Greatest Love”, Cha Seung Won, who didn’t win the Best Actor Award didn’t attend the awards ceremony, but participated in a brand activity together with Bae Yong Joon and Kim Hyun Joong. No wonder netizens pointed out that only actors who attend the awards ceremony will win the awards.

Kim

I agree that Kim Soo Hyun does not deserve the award. his acting was good but not fantastic. Having watched both drama, i honestly think Han Suk Kyu done a superb job and should have won. Korean entertainment industry is becoming too commercialised. Artists under some companies seem to be winning awards due to popularity and despite their inadequate talants. It is bad taste and drive people away from these awards.

kpopfan

He deserves the award.I watched Deep Rooted Tree.TMETS,and the Greatest Love and objectively speaking Kim Soo Hyun’s acting was at PAR with the other actors’ acting skills. Congratulations Kim Soo Hyun…You are an inspiration to newbie actors….

NTN

Well, I think Kim Soo Hyun is a good actor but the Award should be given to the sunbaenim instead beacause their characters in the drama are much harder than Hwon of Kim So Hyun. I watched all of those nominated dramas and they are actually good. But I think the most extraodinary actor who stands out is Shin Ha Kyun in Brain because this role is very complex and is the hardest. Shin Ha Kyun makes the audience hate, love, pity him at the same time by the wonderful acting through his eyes and facial expression. Cha Seung Won, Park Shi Ho & Han Suk Kyu are all great actors but their drama characters are less complicated ( Han Suk Kyu’s role is a little more complicated than those 2) but those roles can be carry out by other actors as well even if others are not that great compare to those orginals actors but it’s possible. But Brain of Shin Ha Kyun is another story and he did a excelelent job to perform this complicated character and it’s even beyond expectation. He is totally deserved for this best Actor Award.
It’s really hard to see him on the show or event and it makes me so disappointed that he was not attend the Beaksang Award either.

Boorin

It is usual be like that when one gets he award and others lose it. I don’t care much about K dramas but TMTETS is the one Kdrama which can attract me so far. And I think Kim Soo Huyn absolutely deserves it!

Joelyn Chow

Why the young ones could not win the sunbaenims if they really have talent? If not for his touching acting so why people love the drama and himself so much? See Yeo Jin Goo and Kim Yoo Jung at the event, who can say only actors who attend the awards ceremony will win the awards? Come on, don’t be so jealous and biased against somebody just because they are young! Anyway, who to be nominated in Paeksang Awards are all winners, so feel free to cheer the luckiest and the most beloved one! Kim Soo Huyn can be proud of his award.

Even I felt regret for Jin Goo & Yoo Jung for not get the awards because their acting is so so great, too! But as reading this article, I am happy that they did not get them. They are too young to endure such jealous and biased criticisms like their oppa KSH. I cannot imagine that if they 3 all get awards, how many biased criticisms will hurt their young hearts?

So, Soo Huyn ah, even I am not your fan (I just love Jin Goo & Yoo Jung), feel free to congrats to you and send this sharing to you: Fighting! Fighting for Jin Goo, for Yoo Jung, for MoonSun and the young ones! Prove that youngers can also make great things!

Koora

Agree with you, Joelyn! Youngers can also make great things! Tomorrow when I become older, I will be also pleased to smile and cheer my younger juniors for their successes with admiration but not jealousness and prejudge! It’s hard but I will try to realize this with my good nature side! hahaha

Kdrama lover

I agree that he doesn’t deserve the award too. Not because he is young but there were better actors than him.

JiYeon1986

yes, there were better actors than him but this time this Paeksang he does better so he win deservedly! How can you doubt the votes of Board of examiners who are Korean experts and Korean prestigious seniors in filed of seven culture? Koreans love him now and foreign audience from more than 10 countries love him now, so does it not deserve to praise a young talent once?

Gaconyeu1990

he did better than Han Suk Kyu??? Are you sure? Did you watch Tree Deep Rooted and still said that????

http://twitter.com/EmilyDark1892 emily dark

Your comment was addressed to JiYeon1986 but I watched Deep Rooted Tree and I can still say KSH owned Hwon. In comparison to HSK, they are different characters and played very different genres but what left me at the end was that KSH really owned his character and made the audience feel with him. This is not to say HSK didn’t, he did he is also a phenomenal actor but at the end, KSH had that extra x factor that really grabbed onto the audience and made you feel what he was going through.

I think the controversy comes from the fact that KSH is so young and MoonSun was so popoular.

JiYeon1986

Thanks emily dark! Now I do not care the jealous comments any more! Even myself feel tired of them, let alone KSH! So that make me support him more! Youth have no guilt! Youth is the future! Simply our Korean see our future through these young talents and make the right decision to encourage them! That is how we control and proceed our power!

JiYeon1986

I did watch Tree Deep Rooted 2 times, my dear! And not a word I said KSH acted better than HSK! I meant KSH did better this time with his drama TMTETS coz the drama has gotten the so-much love from viewers not only in Seoul/Korea (by the rating) but also many countries (if you can see through newspapers of the countries)! Korean Board praised him for this success. You know, we encourage the ones who spread our cultural power to the world! Thanks for caring ours! Cheers!

dramaAdict

What I don’t like about Korean award shows too is how they only focus on dramas with high ratings. That’s so shallow too. There are great dramas that got unlucky and didn’t gain much viewership but they have the great story and great actors. Why can’t they be like Oscars? It’s not really based on how much money it gets but on real talent and how much a story is beautiful. There a lot and I mean A LOT of better actors than Kim Soo Hyun that weren’t even between the nominees just because their drama didn’t get high viewership … what a sad way to judge a drama or an actor. So superficial!

anonimus

could you give an examle to such a drama that deserves recognition but have a low rate?

JiYeon1986

Joelyn, you are rite! Poor Kim Soo Huyn that now he becomes the victim of biased criticisms! But keep fighting man, you deserve it for your talent at this age!

And luckily that Yuh Jin Goo – Kim Yoo Jeong did not get awards this time. Yup, they won’t be able to digest such
criticisms like KSH. Otherwise, some people will say that there are better seniors than them deserve to win!

Monty

Just as there are comments out there that Kim Soo Hyun shouldn’t have got the Best Actor award, there are as many out there that says that he does truly deserve it, and applaud Baeksang for doing what is right. That is, recognising talent where it deserves instead of bowing to the traditional nominations of the veterans and older actors. I am sure Baeksang and its nomination committee knows what the public opinion may be and is willing to place themselves in the line of fire of the traditionalists.That is, I think what Soo Hyun should be proud of, than just the award itself, that the professionals out there recognises his talent and is willing to put themselves out for him.

What is acting, if not to entertain and engage audiences. I’ve watched Han Suk Kyu, etc and the other shows. Yes they so what they should be doing, acting and doing it well because that is their job and they have done it for a while and of course when you have done something for a time, you should be good at it, otherwise you would not have lasted. So what is wrong with popularity and using it to measure an actor’s ability. Kim Soo Hyun, despite his young age, has the talent and the special X factor to not only act as well as the other sunbaes, but was able to engage and mesmerise his audience to support the MoonSun series from start to end. Have you seen a tear dropped just at the right time of a line. Have you seen a simple smirk that moved many people’s heart. That is what I call Acting Talent!! So let call a spade a spade. I look forward to seeing many more roles Soo Hyun will be in, because I have the confidence that he will make it magical for us to watch. He indeed deserves the award!

So for the actor sunbaes and hyungs out there, you should be proud that your industry has such talents in existance that will do Korea proud and you should give Soo Hyun a pat on his back. He has done a phenomenon job of bringing attention to Korean film industry!

harmonymei

I totally agree with you. It is pure stereotype to judge acting skills by age. Although young, Kim Soo Hyun exhibited great acting talent in Sun&Moon and was superb in the emotional crying scenes which touched the hearts of so many. Aside from the storyline, he was the main contributor to the high viewer rate and success of this drama due to his captivating acting. KSH definitely deserves this award and will continue to excel. The Hong Kong and Taiwan film industries have already smashed such stereotype and award solely by the best acting talent in the nominated films regardless of age and status. Korea should follow suit.

dkrvia

I feel really sad for Kim Soo Hyun as he’s in the middle of this controversy. When I first saw his name in the best actors’ nominees list, I dreaded the backslash he’d get if he wins.

When I saw him in the red carpet and didn’t see the other actors who were nominated; I knew straight away that he’d win. The nominees have already been told few hours beforehand if they would win / not, that’s why none of them showed up.

So when he won, I knew this controversy would come. Especially because huge followers of K-drama fans are aware that his entertainment agency has a very large of network and can influence the result of this kind of award ceremony. But I know that Kim Soo Hyun will take all these controversies with positive attitude and will always do his best to prove that he’s indeed a worthy & well-deserved Best Actor Baeksang Winner. Congratulations Kim Soo Hyun!

dapinaymrs

I have watched 3 out of five nominated dramas. From the five, I haven’t seen Deep-Rooted Tree and Brain, however I have heard so much of both dramas as well.

I really can’t say until I’ve seen the other two.

http://twitter.com/tikatiku tika ramadhani

it really disgusts me how only the winner attend the ceremonial. same with music awards.. what’s with the korean ppl? I really have no idea

http://twitter.com/MGCoronacion lulu Coronacion

I’m a foreign viewer . I was able to watched at least 3 of the nominated dramas and I think it is truly unfair for people to say that Kim Soo Hyun is not deserving to win the award. Looking at how this young actor was able to portray his role in the drama is absolutely impressive.Korean viewers should have a renewed attitude towards the acting skills of the young actors as against the veteran ones.Kim Soo Hyun although young appeared to be effective and convincing as an actor.He was definitely excellent. Felicitaciones Kim Soo Hyun!
Keep up the good work and show the world that you truly deserve to be the Best Actor.

JiYeon1986

For all commnets here: Now I do not care the jealous comments any more! Even
myself feel tired of them, let alone KSH! So that make me support him
more!

Kim Soo Huyn absolutely deserves the award.

Youth have no guilt! Youth is the future! Simply our Korean see
our future through these young talents and make the right decision to
encourage them! The Sunbaenims are priceless treasure and the young talents are the weapons we use to spread our influence to the world. That is how we control and proceed our power! None better than any country, we so much respect the elders as well as Sunbaenims but we also know how to make the best for our long-term future. If we can change our preconception for better, why can’t you?

Hikki2me

i guess netizen who said that doesn’t watch the drama. seriously i found he’s really great in Sun-Moon. he deserved it.